REFLECTION FOR THE FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY

The song “We Three Kings” is familiar to many of us and this song is closely identified with the Feast of the Epiphany that we celebrate today. This song was written by John Henry Hopkins, Jr. in the year 1857. At the time that he composed the Carol, Hopkins served as the Rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Willamsport, Pennsylvania. Mr. Hopkins also wrote the Carol for the Christmas Pageant in New York City.

It is only in the Gospel of Matthew that the Magi or Wise Men from the East are mentioned. The three Wise Men are seen as a reminder that Jesus came for all people and all ages.

This year with all that is happening in the world a person might ask themselves what the Feast of the Epiphany does for us today in the year 2021. With the pandemic many people in the world have stated that we need to be practical and follow the science, which makes a great deal of sense. If our community, our nation, and our world is going to overcome the pandemic we will need to work together and trust the science. Recently, at one of the hospitals in the United States that was given the vaccine for Covid19 it was discovered that the vials that were supposed to contain just 5 doses of the vaccine contained 6. Staff at the hospital are calling what happened a miracle.

Over 2 thousand years ago there was a group of people who were following the science of their day and witnessed in the night sky a manifestation of a newborn king. These three Wise Men, these three Kings, left their families, their homes, and went in search of the newborn King.

Who would have thought a year ago the world would be able to not just develop one but several vaccines for Covid19, in less than a year? Most people would have considered it impossible to develop a vaccine for a new virus in less than one year. But once again the impossible is possible, people of faith might call these events a manifestation of God’s love, others might just call it a miracle and still others might call it hard work. As a person of faith sees God’s hand in everything, and that He invites us to be a part of the good things that happen in this world.

Today on the Feast of Epiphany we have an amazing example of three Wise Men from the East that followed a star at its rising to find the newborn King. The Wise Men became a part of God’s salvific plan, because they were willing to do their part. As we do our part in this world, and with God’s grace, we will be able to confront and overcome all the challenges we face in this world.